OUTDOORS REPORT: Feb. 1

BINK GRIMES and WILKENS WEATHER

Published 6:30 am, Friday, February 1, 2008

Galveston Bay

Wind calmed a bit early Thursday after ripping from the east at 20 knots the day before. Winds switched out of the north-northwest as showers associated with the cold front pushed across the coast. Bait camps reported few to no anglers on the water.

Matagorda

Guide Ken Marshall said he has been catching trout to five inches while wading between fronts. Early this week he had seven fish over 25 inches that he caught and released on Corkies over shell and mud and mud and grass.

Lake Livingston

Lynn Camp of Kickapoo Marina said few anglers have been on the water with threatening weather. Catfish action is good on trotlines baited with live perch. Crappie and white bass action is picking up in the creeks, but water is a bit off-colored.

Toledo Bend

Guide Greg Crafts said bass and crappie should begin staging and feeding heavy in anticipation of the spawn. Most of the fish will migrate to the coves and creeks and concentrate on the edges and points. White bass should stack in the pockets and sloughs along the river. Best baits are slab spoons, minnows, live crawfish and small jigs.

Hunting

Guide Butch Waggoner reported good decoying action in the fog the first half-hour of the morning. Then the leading edge of the front pushed through along with rain and the birds quit flying. He said both of his parties shot around 15 geese before the front arrived. A switch to southerly winds this weekend should help hunting.

Winds north 20 to 30 mph early this morning, becoming northeast to east-southeast 8 to 15 mph through this afternoon and increasing southeast 15 to 22 mph by this evening. Winds will become southeast to south-southeast 13 to 20 mph on Saturday. Seas in deep water will be 8 to 11 feet early today and will gradually subside to 3 to 5 feet by this evening. Seas will increase to 4 to 6 feet tonight and Saturday.